Commencement and New Health Center | June 5, 2023

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

A one-stop shop for healthcare on campus

By SUKHJOT SAL

Tan fir wood. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Twelve exam rooms. Open seven days a week.

In addition this these features, the new Health Center on Oregon State University’s campus boasts an abundance of natural light and open space, as well as the return of on-campus pharmacy located just across the street in the Samaritan Athletic Medicine building.

The Health Center is a five-year-long collaboration between Student Health Services and Samaritan Health Services that is expected to open in late June.

The building sits in the southern end of campus — in some exam rooms, you might find yourself just 12 inches from the edge of Reser Stadium. This location also offers patients a larger parking lot than Student Health’s previous location at Plageman Hall in the northern end of campus.

Student Health Services will continue to provide comprehensive care to students, with the added benefit of Samaritan Health Services providing same-day, after-hours care in the evenings and on weekends when Student Health Services isn’t open, according to Kelly Hower, executive director of Student Health Services.

“The Plageman Building was initially built as an infirmary, not as a clinic,” Hower said. “This constrains the way in which the clinic can flow. In terms of collaboration, having Samaritan as a partner in providing easy access to care when Student Health Services isn’t operating will be a huge benefit to students, as well as faculty and staff. Faculty and staff will also benefit from access to Samaritan Health Services primary care services.”

Beyond the spacious lobby, the first floor of the Health Center includes a lab space and occupational health services affiliated with Student Health Services.

According to Mark Ylen, public information officer for Samaritan Health Services, the second floor will have an onsite Samaritan Family Medical Clinic, which will provide full-service primary care for students, faculty, staff and the community, as well as a SamCare Express offering everyone same-day treatment of health problems that are not life-threatening.

The center’s third floor offers conference rooms for care providers and allergy care services for patients. On the fourth floor, OSU’s Student Health provides

reproductive healthcare through Oregon ContraceptiveCare and STI testing. Scattered throughout the floors are designated spaces for providers to collaborate and discuss patient care in depth, gender-inclusive bathrooms and lactation rooms.

“We are down to the last couple weeks of the final touches,” Hower said in a press conference on May 23. “We plan to move the major part of the clinic from the old building into this space the week of the 20th of June, and plan to open and operate at the very end of June, beginning of July.”

Samaritan will move into the Health Center mid-July, added Kelley Kaiser, the

senior vice president chief administrative officer for Samaritan Health Services.

From OSU’s perspective, Hower said they recognize Student Health operations are currently confined by Monday through Friday hours and know that students have concerns that operate outside of those times.

“I think the ability to have Samaritan Health partner with us and create more access for students in the evenings and on the weekends will allow [us] to have students be able to access care here on campus, instead of having to go out,” Hower said.

For Samaritan Health, Kaiser said this collaboration created the opportunity to

expand their primary care services within the Corvallis area while supporting students and faculty, as well as community members.

“The shift across campus will give us an opportunity to redefine Student Health Services on campus,” Hower said. “We will be having certain parts of Student Health actually not located in this building. We are defining this buiilding to be where we are providing our medical services, our primary care services, lab.”

As part of the Health Center’s mission to provide all aspects of medical care, the Center for Advocacy, Prevention and Education will have one Advocate in the clinic who can meet with survivors looking for health care as well as advocacy services.

The rest of CAPE, all of their Prevention team and the rest of their Advocacy team, will also be moved from Plageman into Suite 350 of the Student Experience Center, the third floor.

Student Health Services hours of operation will continue to be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for in-person visits, with telehealth appointments being available until 6 p.m.

Samaritan Health will be open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on the second floor of the new building.

Across the parking lot from the Health Center, you will soon be able to find the new on-campus pharmacy, located on the other side of Reser Stadium in the Samaritan Athletic Medicine building.

STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.

The last time OSU had a pharmacy on campus was in May 2020. After decades of providing pharmacy services to the OSU community, it was forced to closed because revenue was not enough to continue operaions.

“The pharmacy is scheduled to open later this summer and will offer both convenient walk-up and curbside service along with free delivery of prescriptions by mail,” Ylen said.

“Any student who pays the health fee has access to basic office visits with Student Health Services at no charge,” Hower said. “If other charges are incurred during a student’s visit, Student Health Services will courtesy bill insurance if we have this information on file. Insurance details are collected as part of the new patient process. Most insurers will consider Student Health Services to be out of network. We do offer a Student Health Insurance Plan through

collaged set of images showing OSU President Jayathi Murthy (left) and Doug Boysen, President and CEO of Samaritan Health Services, in front of the newly constructed Health Center on the southwest side of OSU campus on May 23.

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CALENDAR

GRAD NIGHT 2023

June 8, 7:30 - 10 p.m.

CH2M Hill Alumni Center

A casino themed night of free food, dancing and games put on to honor the class of 2023.

SPRING INTERNATIONAL BAZZAR

June 10, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Corvallis Multicultural Literacy Center

Enjoy shopping amongst a collection of international decor, collectibles baked goods and more.

C3 SUMMER CONCERT

June 22, 6 - 8 p.m.

Chintimini Park

This free event will feature the folk band Pheonix in an outdoor summer concert avalible to all.

As Pride Month begins the fight for equality does not stop

By SYDNI ZIDAREVICH Justice, Equity and Diversity Beat Reporter

Despite an increased recognition of LGBTQ+ rights, the fight for equal rights is not yet over.

The Stonewall Uprising began in a gay club, the Stonewall Inn, located in Greenwich Village in New York City, when the NYC police raided the club. This raid led to a riot as the police “hauled employees and patrons out of the bar,” according to History.com.

What followed was six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar. To honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement, Pride is now celebrated in the month of June.

However, some in the community have pointed out how Pride Month seems to have made a turn somewhere along the way, and is now a performative measure for large companies and corporations, rather than commemorating and honoring the achievements and struggles the LGBTQ+ community has and continues to face.

Tali Ilkovitch, a member of the community who works within the Pride Center on the Oregon State campus, recalled a time that they were celebrating pride in a bar, and were “basically treated like a zoo,” by other bar goers, stating that a queer space is rare to come by.

“Visibility is really important. But it's also visibility without numbers and without people supporting us and keeping us safe is just us putting ourselves at risk…there's a balance there,” they said.

Carter Trinidad, another member of the community who also works within the Pride Center, spoke about how it is nice and important to celebrate, but to remember that pride began as a riot.

“We're still demanding our rights; we're still fighting for today … there's so many people that are still being left behind,” Trinidad said.

Ilkovitch offered alternatives to a pride party and parade that an ally of the community could partake in such as lobbying, showing up to the city council, voicing opinions, mutual aid items and asking individuals to take their own personal time to learn and educate themselves on issues of the community.

“We (the LGBTQ+ community) do so much unpaid emotional labor to educate people … Pay trans people of color, patrons, people of color, especially if they're educating ” Ilkovitch said.

According to the Trans Legislation Tracker, available for free online, in 2023, 79 anti-trans bills have been passed out of 556 that have been proposed across the country. At this time, of these 79 bills, 71 have been signed into law and 8 others have passed, but have yet to be vetoed or signed.

For comparison purposes, the Trans Legislation Tracker noted that in 2022, 26 anti-trans bills passed out of 174 proposed–this is approximately a 15% passing rate.

This year, in just one month, the U.S. doubled the number of anti-trans bills being

Health Center

Continued from PAGE 1

PacificSource that is considered in-network at Student Health Services, and is available to students if they are interested.”

On the other hand, while Samaritan Health Services will charge students for all services, they are more likely to be able to bill your health insurance.

“For Samaritan Health, we are pretty much covered with all insurance companies, so all insurance companies would be accepted and taken in,” Kaiser said.

Students and university staff who have been treated at the previous clinic are well acquainted with the dimness and generally confined environment in Plageman Hall, part of which was located in a basement with substantially fewer windows and natural light.

“This is way more space than we currently have,” Hower said during a tour of the center on May 23. “Out of the basement, nicely lit, temperature controlled… The building we’re currently in, while it has so much memory, it’s nostalgic, it’s ready for us to move on. The cooling doesn’t work consistently, you know, it’s a very old building. I think people are excited to work in a new space.”

Hower noted that with Plageman’s three floors and older structure, patients would often get lost, and that’s something they hope to avoid with the new Health Center.

“Even just the way-finding in this building will be much easier. We’ll have one main entrance, as opposed to — I don’t know, I think that building had like seven or eight ways to get in and out,” Hower explained. “The exam rooms will

considered across the country from the previous year.

Some of these anti-trans bills targeting gender non-conforming performance, deemed, “drag bans” such as Arizona Senate bill 1026, which “use(s) broad definitions like dressing ‘in clothing and makeup opposite of the performer's ... gender at birth"’ and using language like ‘drag show targeting minors’ to insinuate harmful intent.”

There are a number of bills that would affect transgender individuals on an educational level as well, such as bill AZ SB1700, which encourages parents to report and ban books that are said to promote gender fluidity or gender pronouns.

Another bill that would affect the transgender community is the AZ SB1001, which requires a guardian and teacher to approve of a student’s pronouns.

In 2023, there has been an escalation on healthcare, seen in states like Kansas, Oklahoma, and South Carolina that are introducing bans on gender-affirming care that extend into adulthood — up to 26 years old.

“If there's anything I want cis folks to understand … we're not being dramatic when we're saying that this is literally like fascism … it's banning everyday trans (and gender non-conforming) folks being in public … you can literally be arrested, or … not able to play sports or use the bathroom,” Ilkovitch said.

According to Trinidad, this is what makes celebrating Pride difficult: knowing that some individuals within the community are less affected by what is happening systematically, while trans people are being targeted.

Both Ilkovitch and Trinidad expressed that action needs to occur and policies need to be passed that protect the LGBTQ+ community in order for there to be solidarity with the community and among the city of Corvallis.

“These are just like basic rights … if you can't go into public, how do you work? How do you survive? It just eliminates the ability to physically exist. I feel like maybe people

don't make that jump … it literally writes us out of existence, in society,” Ilkovitch said.

As more anti-trans legislation passes in other states, individuals in the community, such as Trinidad and Ilkovitch have noticed, what they call, a “queer migration” from Midwest states to more Northern states and more open states such as California.

Trinidad spoke about their experience working as a pride mentor, noting how many students from Midwest states mentioned moving because they didn't feel safe there. However, they also mentioned that students would have the expectation that there would be a safe place here in Corvallis, but that some still can’t find that space.

“I think that with this anti-trans legislation, people need to also realize that this has been happening to us for centuries, like hundreds of years, thousands of years,” Trinidad said. “They're forgetting about their black and brown trans brothers and sisters who have been continuously affected through this.”

Although this is the fourth consecutive record-breaking year for anti-trans legislation in the U.S., instances of targeted gender discrimination is evident throughout history. Trinidad gave the example of when the Spaniards arrived during the era of colonization.

The Spaniards aimed to eliminate indigenous culture and even outlawed their cultural practices related to gender, which led to the genocide of indigenous peoples, spanning two regions in Mexico.

According to Trinidad, these indigenous communities and many like them are now experiencing ongoing cultural and gender revival and reclamation.

“We cannot keep indigenous people out of the conversation because we are on indigenous lands,” Trinidad said. “There's so many other immigrant communities that have come over that have their own cultural practices that include multiple genders … so it's very important to add on the intersectional lens when talking about anti trans legislation laws.”

be nice, too — not old office spaces, and temperature-controlled too.”

“Right now, you have one provider who has one room so they can see one patient, and then the patient leaves, so you have to clean the room and bring the next patient in,” Hower said. “Here, having multiple rooms that aren’t assigned to just one person, you can have multiple patients coming in at different times and being seen a little more efficently.”

The new Health Center also includes a large break room lined with more floorto-ceiling windows, to be shared by both Student Health and Samaritan staff and encourage further bonding between both organizations.

“It’s definitely a great opportunity for students, especially to get access when Student Health Services is not available, they can come to the Samaritan services,” said Jessica Lopez, a member of the Student Health Advisory Board.

It seems more accessible, with more opportunities, said Lopez, and overall, helps the student body.

“I think the fact that we’re going to have a full-time psychiatrist here is going to open doors for a lot of students,” said Isabelle Ginavan, another member of Student Health Advisory Board. “There’s just not as many resources in Corvallis as there could be, so I think it’s really good.”

If you’re worried that the center’s proximity to Reser might lead to excessive noise from games on the weekend, Hower said it’s not a concern.

“I came and I tested it out during a spring game,” Hower said. “I came that Saturday and went floor by floor. And it actually wasn’t bad… I did worry about that when we picked this spot, but I think it’s going to be okay.

Since Student Health Services will be closed on the weekend, any extra sports entertainment would really only impact patients seeking medical care over the weekend from Samaritan Health, and even then, the impact will be minimal.

As for the future of Plageman Hall, the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex, a $200 million structure, is being built in the parking lot that Plageman currently resides in.

as there could be, so I think it’s really great for students.

- Isabelle

“There’s no space for them to have construction trailers on that part of campus, so Plageman is going to become a construction trailer during the time that they’re building that,” Hower said. She said Plageman will eventually be renovated and repurposed for use outside of Student Health Services that is not yet decided upon.

“We’re still demanding our rights”

I think the fact that we’re going to have a full-time psychiatrist here is going to open doors for a lot of students. There’s just not as many resources in Corvallis

Ginavan, member of the Student Health Advisory Board

RESEARCH

Oregon State University to co-lead new USDA regional food business center

By LUCINDA BOYLE News Contributor

The United States Department of Agriculture has selected Oregon State University and Colorado State University to co-lead the new Northwest and Rocky Mountain USDA Regional Food Business Center starting this July.

According to Sarah Masoni, director of product and process development at the OSU Food Innovation Center, this is one of 12 new USDA Regional Food Business Centers across the nation. The business centers are intended to help small and mid-sized producers succeed in local and regional markets, according to Lauren Gwin, the interim director for the Center for Small Farms and Community Food Systems, part of the OSU College of Agriculture Extension program.

The center is not a new physical building, according to Masoni, but will be a collaboration between existing extension services across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, and funded with 30 million dollars spread over the next five years, according to Gwin.

“When I knew that USDA was going to create this program … I called up my colleagues at Colorado State University and I said ‘I know you all are going to be able to lead one of these things because of what you do and I really want to be part of it’”, said Gwin. When applications were due CSU reached back to her and asked if OSU would be their co-lead.

OSU’s team will involve existing agriculture extension services including the Center for Small farms and Community Food Systems, the Food Innovation

Center Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network. They will provide assistance to producers, processors and food businesses in underserved communities across the six-state region.

Rebecca Thistlethwaite, the director of NMPAN, said that the Food Business Center funding will help her program expand the technical assistance and educational support it provides to local meat processors. This will include additional training on marketing, food safety, techniques to scale up business, and waste management. NMPAN will also work with the National Intertribal Food Business Center, led by the Intertribal Agriculture Council, to create resources for meat processors in tribal communities.

“(The) USDA has been recognizing that small and mid-scale businesses, and farms, and local and regional supply chains and food economies are a really important part of food and agriculture,” says Gwin, “Finally, more resources are being dedicated to it, to folks who have been doing this work with, you know, toothpicks, chewing gum and baling twine, I like to say.”

Masoni said they will focus on helping entrepreneurs in the food business as they scale up production, and on coordinating food hubs across the region.

“What I really would love to see happening, is that in all rural communities, including tribal communities, that we would have food systems that would support the people that live there with foods that are local,” Masoni said.

She noted that the OSU’s Extension Services were already involved with small farms and food distribution in rural communities in Oregon, but that the Regional Food Business Center will facilitate collaboration with communities across all six states.

“If we really think deeply about it, maybe it's a way to connect extension out into the community more closely with services that are provided,” said Masoni, “So it’s kind of connecting all the dots and making sure that we have the funding to do the work that we’re supposed to do.”

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Strategies to get last minute internships

By VINCENT HO News Contributor

For Beavers who haven’t found an internship yet, here are some of the strategies to employ to find career opportunities over the summer.

Jen Rouse, director of marketing & communication at the Oregon State University Career Development Center, has some strategies to help students find internships before the term ends.

Rouse recommends that students use Handshake, a job and internship search tool specifically for college students and recent graduate students.

While employers on other job posting sites may be looking for people with years of experience, employers on Handshake are looking for college students. Rouse suggests favoriting jobs they like so that Handshake will recommend more jobs like it the next time a student logs in.

Tailoring your resume towards the position that you want is a recommendation to assist in getting you through the automatic screening process.

“Many companies are now using automated screening tools to filter applications. If your resume and cover letter don’t contain the key words they are looking for, your materials might not ever get in front of human eyes,” Rouse said.

A tip she provides for students is to list the classes they have taken and their non-paid work experience so the automatic screening picks up on more keywords.

Many jobs don’t come from spotting a post online, but instead from a personal connection. Rouse says to ask professors, friends, or parents to introduce you to someone who is hiring.

OSU has free career services for students who are looking for internship opportunities given by the Career Development Center. They have drop in or scheduled appointments which will allow students to work with an advisor who can help them look for jobs and review their resumes. They also have many free tools for students including, but not limited to, Vmock, which is a free resume checker and StandOut, an online interview prep tool.

Reaching out to companies directly is an option for students who want to work specifically for a certain company, even if they don’t have an internship posted. For students who are unsure about what companies to reach out to, Rouse suggested using Buzzfile’s Employer by Major tool and searching for employers related to your major.

For students who are looking for career opportunities next year, be on the lookout for career fairs. The CDC has a few tips for anyone looking to get a head start connecting with employers before and during these events.

They recommend preparing your resume ahead of time and printing 10 copies to share with employers. They also recommend sending an email or calling the employer you talked to thank them and reiterate what you discussed at the fair.

“From my experience, employers don’t spend much on marketing their internships compared to full-time jobs. I would suggest students reach out directly this late in the game. I would also refer them to the Career Development Center for individual advice on internships.” said Eric Schueffner, assistant director of career education at the OSU Career Development Center.

JAKE FISCHER | ORANGE MEDIA NETWORK

A variety of vegetables at the Corvallis farmers market on May 20 in downtown Corvallis. The business centers are intended to help small and midsized producers succeed in local and regional markets, according to Lauren Gwin, who is the interim director of an extension center connected to the College of Agriculture.

Dr. Staci Simonich Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences

Corvallis schools could lose $5 million in funding due to proposed state budget

By ALEXANDER BANKS News Contributor

Governor Tina Kotek’s proposed state budget released at the beginning of the year could lead to a loss in funding for Corvallis schools.

Governor Kotek’s $9.9 billion proposal is $400 million more than the projections proposed in December. Conversely, the budget would be $400 million less than the $10.3 billion needed to adequately fund schools in Oregon, according to the Oregon

to increase their budgets and programs. However, the money is beginning to run out although the problems still remain.

The Oregon School Boards Association reported fall test results showing many students behind in core classes, while teachers are also reporting increased numbers of students struggling socially and emotionally.

“District leadership, staff, and school board members are currently advocating for increased state funding for K-12 education,”

Furthermore, although a loss of $5 million would equate to 50 staffing positions, none of the staffing positions included in the reduction are teachers, according to Noss.

“The behavioral staff changes due to budget reductions are all at the elementary level,” Noss wrote. “In making these decisions, our district considered how to most effectively address behavior, assessment, and health room support at the elementary level while making necessary staffing reductions.”

Cheldelin middle school.

According to Noss, many of the staff affected by budget cuts will continue to have other positions in the district. Furthermore, recruitment will slow down while staffing positions will be reviewed based on necessity. Corvallis School District will review and make decisions on how to use the remaining temporary funds that will run out on June 30, 2024.

Linn Benton Community College reported they will be eliminating the Computer Science and Criminal Justice programs from their curriculum at the end of the 2023-24 academic year, due to budget cuts. According to the school, current students will only have 15 months to finish their degree.

“This has been a very difficult time,” Lisa Avery, LBCC president, said in a press release. “Despite the challenging climate, I know LBCC will continue to fulfill our mission of economic empowerment for our students and our communities.”

LBCC also plans to cut three full-time librarians and raise tuition by six percent, approved by the LBCC Board of Education. In addition, the Adult Basic Skills program, which helps adults develop skills in arts, math, science and more, will be redesigned and operated on a lower budget, according to an LBCC press release.

The LBCC Faculty Association claims the administration violated its contract by not including faculty members in the decision-making process, which would have allowed them to present alternative solutions to budget cuts, according to the Albany Democrat-Herald. The college has projected a revenue shortfall of $4 million by 2025.

LOCAL BUSINESS

consistently use across Linus Pauling and

Corvallis businesses band together to succeed during the summer

How businesses stay afloat during the summer, through nonprofits and other organizations

By JAMES KELLEY News Contributor

During the summers in Corvallis, it can be hard to draw customers into a local establishment, with most Oregon State University students at home. To mitigate losses, coalitions between restaurants and businesses use this time to facilitate events, work on infrastructure, and engage in policy design with the city.

With nearly 25,000 Oregon State University students, roughly 40 percent of Corvallis’ overall population departing for home in June, businesses brace for the months to come. Because students make up a tremendous fraction of the workforce in Benton County, their absence represents high rates of turnover among local businesses as well as a need for customers during the summer.

In summers past, struggling with turnover and finding stable employees have been primary goals for hard-pressed businesses.

“A lot of restaurants have to work around student’s schedules in general, but during

Richmond created the Greater Corvallis Restaurant Association in early May to lobby for policy proposals and provide input to city government on the needs of restaurants in the area. The organization is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit. Much of the work that he does is directed towards networking with organizations like Visit Corvallis and other restaurants to ensure that their needs are met.

“Time after time, I heard restaurant owners complaining about the new outdoor seating policies that the city proposed,” he said, referring to the policy that the city requires permits for restaurants to provide outdoor seating in city-owned parking lots. “A lot of the complaints, to the city’s credit, was not because of the city’s fault, but there was a huge lack of communication between the city and the businesses in downtown and on Monroe."

Richmond will be submitting a policy proposal to the Corvallis City Council to create a year-round outdoor seating program, which will help businesses that

are especially active during the summer.

One such organization is the Corvallis Area Restaurants and Bars Alliance, run by Michele Colomb, who founded it officially in April largely in response to the pandemic. Colomb said she has seen the need for such an alliance to persist beyond the pandemic, however.

“The pandemic itself is, for the most part … on its way out, but then I realized that restaurants were still struggling with sourcing product, retaining employees, overall still struggling financially,” Colomb said. "The CARB Alliance … will focus on promoting, marketing, education, encouraging culinary tourism, event planning, and networking.”

Colomb also oversees the Facebook group Corvallis Culinary Connections, which was created to crowdsource information in a social media platform that was pertinent to COVID guidelines in 2020. Today, it works to help the public and local restaurants to communicate better with information related to hours and events.

Tourism is another industry affected by low residency during the summer. Visit Corvallis, whose main priority is to draw in tourists, has a challenging job

Christina Rehklau is the executive director of Visit Corvallis. She oversees strategizing and promotion, which entails providing regular events that engage the public and

“Something we’re thinking about doing is highlighting more happy hours or

trying to encourage people maybe to do an activity,” Rehklau said. “For those that … have a lot of student business, I think it is coming up … with an event that might entice a different audience to come during the summer months.”

The summer provides locals with the opportunity to go dine at restaurants and bars that, during any other time of year, would be crowded with students. Although it does not necessarily make up the deficit, it is certainly a sustainable force for local businesses.

As organizing businesses go, the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce has been facilitating events under the leadership of Simon Date for four years, who resigned in May. Date led the chamber through the pandemic and was recently offered a job as the executive director of the Oregon Youth Soccer Association, leaving the chamber under the leadership of Shalena Cardineaux.

“(My) favorite part … (was) getting to know all the … businesses that have become friends over the past four years,” Date said. “It’s an awesome community.”

The chamber under Cardineaux will be lead just the same or better than it has been, according to Date.

This summer should be no different than summers of the past. With business coalitions providing residents with several events that will draw out the public and bolster sales, the success of Corvallis’ vibrant community remains of paramount importance.

GUO | ORANGE MEDIA NETWORK

A photo illustration depicting a check being cut in half by scissors on May 17. The Oregon State Department of Education is giving Oregon Public Schools less funding than the needed amount.

What you need to know about gender affirming care

By RILEY LECOCQ

From routine physicals, to sexual health care and beginning transition or continuing transition, access to gender affirming care aims to make healthcare inclusive for all at Oregon State University while legislative bans on this care have been introduced across the country.

Most people think of hormone replacements when they hear gender affirming care. In reality, gender affirming care encompasses more than hormone replacements. Access to gender affirming care can be the difference between life and death for many.

“Gender affirming care is lifesaving for people,” said Cindy Konrad, center director for the Pride center and SOL multicultural support network at Oregon State University.

According to Konrad, having care provided in an inclusive way, such as in routine physical exams, is crucial in affirming someone in their identity. In some areas of the country this can be difficult to access; whether you are trans, non binary or cisgender.

According to the World Health Organization, gender affirming care is defined as a range of physiological, behavioral, social, and medical interventions, “designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity.”

For nearly 15 years medical gender affirming care – routine physicals, sexual health care, beginning or ongoing transition related medication, etc. – has been available at OSU’s Student Health Services to all health-fee paying students regardless of their gender or sexual identity according to Dr. Shanilka de Soyza, medical director at SHS.

“We currently have six providers who work with students to support their gender identity,” de Soyza said. “We follow (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) standards and nationally recognized guidelines for starting and continuing treatment.”

de Soyza shared that SHS is working to develop further support in the social, mental

and physical needs of those seeking gender affirming care.

These developments out of SHS would add to the support provided on campus through the Pride center, SOL multicultural support network and Counseling and Psychological Services, which currently offer a number of resources listed on

their websites and social media platforms, according to Konrad.

“Having that laid out on their website saying ‘hey this is something you can access’, it makes a big difference,” said Tanya Laird, a doctoral student in civil engineering and wood science. “It was one of the factors (for me) in coming to Oregon State.”

Laird has been receiving ongoing care at OSU as she transitioned years prior to coming to OSU. Regardless though, Laird says she has had only positive experiences and emphasizes that the path for someone finding who they are is not linear but rather a “choose your own adventure type thing”.

“When we talk about gender affirming care, I think it's a lot more relatable than people tend to think, they just put it in a different context,” Laird said.

According to de Soyza access to gender affirming care is becoming more common in college health settings such as Oregon but Konrad believes this may change as legislative actions to limit or ban gender affirming care in some form or another are introduced around the country.

But for those at OSU there remains many resources and spaces that welcome individuals as they are and hope to affirm them in their identity.

“It is a really beautiful thing to see someone be able to live fully as who they are, and to see that person be able to exist in the world as their authentic self, that's just a beautiful wonderful thing,” Konrad said.

Look forward to Knights to remember this summer

By NOAH EVANS Sports Contributor

As summer arrives and Beaver Nation disperses, a peculiar tranquility settles over our campus. All of a sudden it becomes easy to find an elliptical machine at Dixon, there are no more “casual” spike ball games being played on the Intramural fields and, you can hear a pin drop while strolling down Monroe.

Amidst the melodic chirping of birds, the only sound that seems to interrupt the summer serenity is the crack of a wooden bat colliding with a thrown baseball — and that can only mean one thing: the Corvallis Knights are back at Goss Stadium.

“The Knights are a summer college baseball team … not only do we always have Beavers play for us but we also feature college players from the entire northwest,” said Bre Miller, the team’s president, and Oregon State University alumnus.

The Knights, who play in the West Coast League, have had several OSU players take the field for them, according to the Knights website. Former Beavers that have donned the Knights uniform include Nick Madrigal (2B, 2015), Adley Rutschman (C, 2016), and Steven Kwan (OF, 2016). Current Beavers Travis Bazzana (2B, 2021), Ryan Brown (RHP, 2022), and Tanner Smith (C, 2021-2022) have also spent their summers in Corvallis.

The Knights love to have fun and it just so happens they love to win while doing it. They lead the WCL in total wins (574), and since relocating to Corvallis from Gresham in 2007 they have won nine league titles, adding six in the last six seasons.

For players, the Knights serve as an opportunity to fine-tune their game in the offseason. While it may be serious for the athletes, fans are urged to sit back, kick their feet up and enjoy a sunny day in Corvallis.

“We really want there to be a reason to

care to come to a Knights game besides the baseball,” said Miller. “Really making everybody feel included, like they are part of the show.”

Miller added that every Friday or Saturday game last season had either a giveaway for fans or a fireworks display, something the Knights intend to continue this year.

From themed nights like Big League Chew Night to special events like Strike Out Cancer Night featuring unique jerseys and fundraising for charities, the Knights put on a show that's fun for all ages. Their promotional schedule also includes giveaways of mini bats, hats, T-shirts, and more, according to the team website.

In order to serve the college students that call Corvallis home over the summer, the Knights feature adult beverage promotions including Two Towns Tuesdays, Wine Wednesdays, and Thirsty Thursdays feature four-dollar pours from local vendors that

Corvallis residents know and love. Recognizing the importance of reciprocation, the Knights consider giving back to their supportive community an integral part of their mission.

“Not only are we a summer entertainment option but we are also a pillar of the community,” said Miller. “We give back in donation packages to a lot of nonprofits for auctions and giveaways, we support youth sports and we sponsor the games room at the Boys and Girls Club in Corvallis … we really just try to be ingrained in the community and be a part of Corvallis.”

The Knights will play their first home game on June 15 at 6:35 p.m.

The home-opener’s giveaway is a magnet schedule, and will also be the first “Thirsty Thursday” of the season, meaning specialty beer pours are just four dollars.

what, the where and the ways it affects the OSU community

Andrew Real: Professional Timbers soccer player turns in cleats for computer science

By AUDREY ANDERSON Sports Contributor

For most athletes, it was an average work day: play the game, get the win, and impress the fans.

But to one, it was special.

Playing his first professional game, Andrew Real was ecstatic and determined to dazzle the watching fans.

The ringing of the whistle started the game, with players passing to one another and backbending shots firing at the goals.

Real faced down his components, denying their aggressive advances and skillfully plucking the ball out from the players’ feet, leaving them to sulk in embarrassment.

Then everything went black.

Laying on the field, clutching at his leg as sharp dagger-like pains possessed his body, Real, who had dedicated his whole life to soccer, could only think of one thing: What's next?

Real began playing soccer recreationally in fourth grade while living in Japan. He was initially born in California but moved immediately to Japan as his dad had a mission for the navy, which kept him posted within the country.

Soccer being one of the most popular sports in Japan, Real was introduced to the culture early on and wanted to join the lively and passionate scene.

Real looked up to players such as Shinji Kagawa and Maya Yoshida, prominent Japanese soccer players known for their hard work and commitment.

Real hoped to follow in the footsteps of his heroes and become a fantastic soccer player by having the grit and the determination needed to become one of the greats.

"I had some family issues growing up, (which) was a huge factor making mewant this career even more … I was so committed to being the best, and it was a way for me also to avoid the family issues I had," Real said.

During the fifth grade, Real realized that he had a passion for soccer and began to play more competitively, having caught the eye of multiple coaches.

Fabio Dos Passo, currently coaching at FC Barcelona and who coached Real during his time at FC Gifu, described Real as "a hard-working individual who thrived for success," and, "a responsible player that took the game seriously."

Real's big break came when he was

By MAGGIE AKINS Sports

During her five year tenure, Madi Dagen accomplished personal bests, made memories to last a lifetime, and experienced mental health that just about every college student and athlete endures.

“We made history, we beat teams we shouldn’t have beat, and the atmosphere in Gill [Coliseum] was like something I’ve never experienced before … It was so much fun,” Dagen said.

signed to the Portland Timbers, playing as a center-back from July 2017 to September 2022.

Many friendships were made while Real played for the Timbers, including a friendship with Davis Sargent, who played with Real on the same team in 2017-2018 and is now playing for FC Schalke 04.

"(We) had strong chemistry because he played center back with me," Sargent said. "The best experience I have with

time and body, Real was finally allowed to play his first professional game, but disaster struck mid-game as he suffered a catastrophic injury.

Tearing both his medial collateral ligament, meniscus, and dislocating his kneecap, Real's professional career ended just as it had started. His career with FC Gifu only ran from December 2022 to January 2023.

Passo was crushed when Real was injured. "I was very devastated for him," Passo said. "I was under the impression that he was

Faced with the end of his soccer career, Real was determined to push forward and start a new chapter of his life.

"Even though I have committed to soccer for most of my life, it is important as well that sometimes even when you have worked

Dagen has been one of the most beloved athletes at Oregon State, as the crowd would always cheer for her extra loud when she came out of the tunnel, or as little kids would wait by the exit to get her autograph.

That also has something to do with the love that Beaver Nation gives to its athletes, which is something that she touched on.

“It’s been awesome to see Beaver Gym evolve into this, not underdogs anymore … now it’s like, ‘No, we're the top of the top,’” Dagen said.

Gymnastics is all about perfection, and

perfecting your routines. Sometimes it’s not going to come out the way you want or the year isn’t going to come out the way you want. There’s always going to be a performance that you don’t want.

Dagen said one piece of advice she would give to younger gymnasts is that sometimes you need to remind yourself how cool you are because most people cannot do what they do.

When getting the itch for the goal of going to college gymnastics, you work day and night for it. Committing hours of your life to be able to get there. Dagen did that and it went by in a blink of an eye.

In her experience, freshman year and her last year were her most impactful.

For one, her freshman year the team went to nationals. That performance made Dagen want to come back and keep improving

He is currently a freshman majoring in computer science and hopes that once done with college, he can excel in his career much

Real's dad had heard of Oregon State's reputation with engineering and urged his son to go, knowing his passion for computer science. Many friends also convinced Real to choose Oregon State, saying it was a great Real now immerses himself in the college community and culture by joining intramural sports, meeting new friends within his major, and attending a few Asian-

Real said that soccer has taught him many important things, determination, teamwork, and much more which he has now applied to his new "Going back to all of the things I've learned … I couldn't have been more grateful for the person I am because

further.

“Every year has its own special thing,” Dagen said.

Like her freshman year, this last season for Dagen was something special for her. There of course is always something about your last year, but for Dagen, her growth within her confidence and mental health excelled.

When going to college, and when you near the end, you often reflect on your first year and your last year.

“This is going to sound cheesy, but it really is true to just not take things too seriously and don’t stress the small stuff, because at the end of the day, it literally goes by in a blink,” Dagen said.

This is where the topic of graduation can start to get sentimental because it means you

What goes on behind the scenes of

Commencement celebrations across colleges and cultural centers

Oregon State University's 154th Commencement is celebrated not just as one big ceremony, but as celebrations across campus for students to be recognized within communities throughout June.

9

By SKAND S. News Contributor

It is that time of the year when excitement is in the air with soon-to-be graduates who will don their gowns and caps and enter a new chapter in their lives.

With everyone cheering for the graduates’ success and the campus full of celebrations on June 17, the date of the commencement ceremony, one aspect that does not get the limelight is what goes into organizing it.

According to Kayleen Eng, director of Commencement for the Provost’s Office, the Oregon State University Corvalliscampus commencement ceremony involves coordinating several departments within and outside of OSU.

Schools and colleges, OSU Athletics, Disability Access Services, Facilities Services, Office of Advocacy, Office of the Registrar, Printing and Mailing Services, the Department of Public Safety, Transportation Services, University Events, University Relations and Marketing, and community vendors such as Special Occasions are some of them.

SECURITY

Similar to the OSU Athletics events, this year’s commencement would also be adhering to the Clear Bag Policy and only allowing transparent bags and a small clutch bag inside the Reser stadium where the ceremony would be held.

According to Shanon Anderson, the associate vice president for Public Safety and chief of police at OSU, the planning for this year’s ceremony started immediately after the last commencement.

On completion of last year’s event, Anderson said that her team conducted an after action review of the event and incorporated feedback about the length of time for 26th Street from SW Western Boulevard to SW Washington Way. This year, for safety reasons, the Department of Public Safety has decided to keep the road closed a bit longer and open it up when the crowd has thinned.

On top of the regular duties of patrol, dispatch, and emergency management, the DPS is also responsible for the security of the event and traffic management and Clery compliance. The Clery compliance requires the DPS to inform the campus community of accurate information about the crimes and OSU’s campus safety.

For traffic management, DPS is working with the Corvallis Public Works to adjust the timings of the signals during commencement so that intersections can operate more efficiently and reduce congestion.

According to City of Corvallis Public Information Officer Patrick Rollens, longer green light durations will be provided to move more vehicles through the intersection. This change is not specific to commencement and is usually put in place

during rush hours on weekdays and for OSU football game days.

In addition to this, the Corvallis Fire Department has been contracted by OSU to provide emergency medical services during the commencement ceremony. Specifically, CFD will assign an incident commander, a two-person advanced life support ambulance, and nine roving EMT/ medics in the crowd prior to, during and post-ceremony.

ACCESSIBILITY

According to Eng, several measures have been taken to make the commencement as accessible as possible. The entire Reser Stadium parking lot is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition to this, ADA seating has been arranged throughout the stadium along with companion seating.

On the day of commencement, shuttle buses and golf carts will run throughout campus to assist those with mobility concerns.

During the ceremony, captioning and ASL interpreters are projected on large video screens in the stadium. For the online audience, there will be two live streams, one in Spanish and one in English with respective captions.

Owing to the heat concerns, inside seating at the Reser stadium for people sensitive to the sun is also provided.

PRINTING AND MAILING SERVICES

According to Steve Clark, vice president for University Relations and Marketing, OSU is one of the few major universities across the nation that provides graduates their own actual diploma on the day of Commencement.

“This has been a decades’ long tradition at Oregon State and it emphasizes how proud the university is of all graduates and how the university recognizes how important and very personal graduation is for students and their families,” said Clark.

Last year 7, 318 students graduated with around 17.8% of them being first-generation graduates. The number this year is expected to be in the similar range and the official count would be out in June after the spring term.

OSU’s printing and mailing services are responsible for: Ceremony programs.

- Event signage for the commencement ceremony as well as for the events hosted by individual colleges. -

Print and mail postcards to eligible graduates prior to commencement.

- Event passes for media and photographers.

- The campus banners celebrating graduates.

- Gifts and cards.

According to Jennifer Hunt, client relations manager at OSU Printing and Mailing Services, the first batch of mails

for commencement was sent at the end of March and another was sent in mid-April. A third batch will be sent after spring term.

Jeff Todd, the director of PMS, said that after the admissions season during Fall, the spring time around commencement is the next busiest period for his team. For commencement, PMS usually starts getting requests around February for postcard mailings.

One of the key aspects for PMS is coordinating with the Provost’s office.

“I’ve had [Kayleen Eng] sending stuff into me starting in March … everything [the Provost’s office] could, ahead of time,” said Hunt. “That way when we have everything come in two weeks before commencement … it gives us a little bit of time to be able to get that done.”

Hunt also said that she maintains an extensive spreadsheet of what needs to be delivered at the Reser stadium for the day of commencement and what goes to the Provost’s office.

According to Hunt, everything is on track as of now. She does anticipate requests for “alpha splits” – signs that are used at commencement to split up graduates by their last names – in the first week of June, which is one of the primary reasons that PMS has planned things ahead of time.

During the pandemic, PMS also worked with several departments and the Office of the Provost to produce, assemble and mail thousands of gift boxes to graduates whose commencement was altered by COVID-19. PMS, however, does not print the diplomas and an outside vendor, Michael Sutter Company, has been contracted by the Office of Registrar to print them for the graduating class.

BUSINESSES

Commencement is not just something that affects OSU alone, rather it has an impact on the businesses in and around Corvallis.

According to Simon Date, president of the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce, most businesses are ready for the commencement weekend. Businesses such as restaurants are inundated with reservation requests. “Commencement is bittersweet for the business community. It’s a fantastic weekend, and so great to see so many students graduating and moving into the start of the rest of their lives,” said Date. “On the flip side, losing … students from the community is revenue lost for a lot of the industries we support.”

Date acknowledged that this decrease in number of students might not be a direct correlation to slowing down of businesses, there is definitely a down turn each summer for local businesses who rely on students as customers. OSU did not comment on the breakdown of the budget for the commencement ceremony.

am | School of Marketing, Analytics, and Design

� 2 p.m. | School of Management, Entrepreneurship, and Supply Chain & Logistics Management

� 4:30 pm | Business Administration Major Ceremony

� 6 p.m. | Graduate recognition ceremony located in Stirek Auditorium

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

� 12:30 p.m. | School of Biological and Ecological Engineering BBQ reception located in Gilmore Hall

� 4 p.m. | School of Civil and Construction Engineering located in LaSells Stewart Center, reception from 6 - 7 p.m.

� 7 p.m. | School of Civil and Construction Engineering located in LaSells Stewart Center, reception from 8:30 - 9:30 p.m.

� 3 p.m. | School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science located in Gill Coliseum, reception from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. in Parker Plaza

� 11 a.m. - 1p.m. | School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering located in Gill Coliseum, reception from 1 - 2 p.m. in Parker Plaza

� 2 p.m. | Nuclear Science and Engineering celebration event and reception located in CH2M HILL Alumni Center

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Refreshments, games and giveaways in the Women’s Building immediately following each celebration.

� 9 a.m. | Human Development and Family Sciences located in Milam Auditorium

� Noon - 2 p.m. | Kinesiology located in Milam Auditorium

� 3 p.m. | Public Health and Nutrition located in Milam Auditorium

INDIVIDUAL COLLEGES

� 5:30 p.m. | College of Education located in the MU ballroom

� 7 p.m. | College of Liberal Arts, School of Psychological Sciences located in Learning and Innovation Center, 100 � 4 p.m. | College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences located in the Student Experience Center Plaza � 3:30 p.m. | College of Science located in the Valley Library Quad � 4 p.m. | Honors College located in the first floor and quad of the LINC � 6:30 p.m. | Outstanding Black Grad Celebration located at the Corvallis Community Center

� 9 a.m. | All university ceremony located in Reser Stadium

� 7:30 a.m. | E-campus ceremony and reception located in the MU lounge

� 3 p.m. | Sí se pudo, Latinx affinity graduation located in the Memorial Union

� 11 a.m. | Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine located at the LaSells Stewart Center - Austin Auditorium.

The graduation for SOL is scheduled for Thursday, June 15, in the Memorial Ballroom. The reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the formal program starting at 7:00 pm. Only those who registered will be recognized within the ceremony.

Mailing Services Jeff Todd (top right; he/him) and Jake Schmid (bottom). OSU Printing and Mailing Services are responsible

Dr. Charity Dean recollects on OSU career ahead of 2023 commencement

Oregon native, OSU alumni and public health visionary, keynote speaker prepares for 2023 commencement

By NINO PAOLI News Reporter

Whether it be containing a potential tuberculosis outbreak or monitoring early concerns of an international pandemic, leaping into action is something Dr. Charity Dean, the 2023 commencement keynote speaker, is not unfamiliar to.

During her time as a public health official in California, Dean carried out the jobs her peers and superiors avoided: from extracting lung tissue from a woman’s corpse with garden shears given to her by a coroner afraid of contracting tuberculosis, to trying to reason with the American government and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 when the virus first began to spread in China.

“Being given nothing but garden shears to do this impossible task while being surrounded by all of these people who are better-equipped and better-qualified, and really, they should be the ones doing this,” Dean said. “But my God, if no one else will grab the garden shears and start cutting, I will.”

Prior to Dean taking initiative in highpressure situations as a public health official, she first needed to learn how to persist through hardships she endured as an undergraduate student at OSU.

“It was at Oregon State University that I learned what I am capable of,” Dean said. “We're all born with these dormant superpowers, but we have to go through challenging trials for the superpowers to be activated … my superpowers began to be activated while I was at Oregon State.”

Dean said she is honored to speak at Oregon State University’s 2023 commencement on June 17, as her undergraduate experience at the university was an integral part of her origin story.

Growing up in Junction City, Ore., Dean's path to OSU was built on the belief in her potential.

“I grew up in an extremist religious environment, where academic pursuits were not encouraged,” Dean said. “The only thing that was encouraged was the church cultural belief system.”

Coincidentally, it was at church where Dean first became transfixed by communicable diseases.

At age seven, Dean and her parents attended church one night. There, a nurse missionary described their experiences in Africa, recounting the diseases they came across on the missions field. On Dean’s way back home, driving back to Junction City from Eugene, the backseat of her parents’ old sedan smelled of cat pee and must.

“It's one of my earliest memories of childhood,” Dean said. “I remember looking out the window in the dark and saying out loud to my parents, ‘I'm going to be a doctor, and I want to learn about those scary diseases.’”

Years later, Dean would be inducted into the 1995 class of Ford scholars, only the second class of high school seniors to

CONSTRUCTION

be funded by The Ford Family Foundation to attend college.

She fit all the necessary criteria for the scholarship: neither of her parents went to college, her family’s expected contribution was zero, she was in poverty in rural Oregon and was committed to going to an in-state school.

“(The Fords) were intentionally looking for kids like me,” Dean said. “In other words, it was the first time that someone said to me, ‘you are not an accident, you are on purpose and we are picking you because of these things. You are uniquely qualified.’”

However, adjusting to college life with no point of reference proved difficult for Dean, and she finished freshman year on the pre-med track with a 2.8 GPA.

“I would summarize myself at that point as a colossal academic failure,” Dean said.

“You can imagine what a hit that was to my self-esteem, having been a super smart

grade, won the Ford Family Foundation Scholarship.”

Dean would receive a letter from a founder of the Ford Family Foundation, Kenneth Ford, every couple of months, in which he’d send personalized messages with life advice to all of the Ford scholars.

It was only during her sophomore year at Ford’s funeral in Roseburg, where Dean would find the determination to persevere.

“This huge old church … was full of lumbermen. It was full of men in flannel shirts and suspenders and Levi's. It was the salt of the earth, the humblest of the humble and, you know, none of those guys went to college,” Dean said.

As the men, who had worked with Ford over the years, got up one by one and began telling stories about the hardships Ford had to overcome, and how his modeled persistence encouraged them to never give up, Dean pulled out a napkin and started doing the math.

With a 2.8 GPA and having just been kicked out of the pre-med program, Dean realized she would have to change her major to microbiology, take a fifth year of undergrad and get no less than a 3.8 GPA each term to graduate with a 3.6 GPA.

Dean would go on to graduate cum laude from OSU’s Honors College in 2000, with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and minors in chemistry and French, according

“I know (OSU) meant a lot to her because it got her out of one life and into another,” Michael Lewis, the author of “The Premonition: A Pandemic Story,” which features Dean as a central character.

“She came from a world where it was unlikely that a girl was going to go to college, and she's obviously incredibly intelligent and her mind would have been wasted had Oregon State not existed.”

Lewis said during her time as public health officer in Santa Barbara County, Calif, in the middle of the pandemic, Dean “lit up the whole world of … local public health, which really was the core of the American problem.”

Dean said even now, at times, she feels as if she’s only operating with garden shears before a crowd of spectators as the founder and CEO of The Public Health Company, a program to inform people of communicable disease outbreaks and provide options to manage and mitigate the threat.

“Somebody has to build this capability, or we fail

again next time when the stakes are even higher,” Dean said. “(I have) no background in business, no background in technology, but I got something that apparently no one else has, and that's the software product vision … for what must exist to solve this problem.”

The PHC designed a software technology that runs on four guiding principles: speed, scalability, autonomy and trust.

We're all born with these dormant superpowers, but we have to go through challenging trials for the superpowers to be activated … my superpowers began to be activated while I was at Oregon State.

- Dr. Charity Dean, 2023 commencement keynote speaker

Dean said the technology has to disseminate intelligence faster than the threat moves and must be scalable across the whole world. With the exponentiality of the spread of communicable diseases and its worldwide scope, only software can meet these first two principles.

Dean emphasized the need for this technology to be independent of any association.

“I had initially thought government could build this and should build this; it became clear to me in 2020, government can't build this, nor should they build this,” Dean said. “It had to be a private sector effort … totally autonomous, value-agnostic, politicallyagnostic.”

Dean said this autonomy also aims to garner trust from decision-makers, and that the software couldn’t ever come from the government, “because there would always be 50% of the country that didn’t trust what the administration was saying.”

“Those four capabilities is what I've done manually my whole career,” Dean said. “I'm simply turning myself into software.”

As Dean continues to lead the development of the PHC software in Silicon Valley, she still wears her 1995 Ford Scholar ring to this day: left hand, middle finger.

Other reminders of her Oregon roots sprout up in passing logging trucks on the road and sparking conversation with any individual in a red flannel shirt and suspenders at a truck stop.

“I'm not a beach person,” Dean said. “I like cold, rainy mountains with fir trees, I like the smell of mint fields in the summer. My dad was in agriculture, I grew up around all farmers in the Willamette Valley.”

Dean said farmers are her people.

“If I had to pick a group of people to say that's my tribe, it would be the hard-working, poor, rural farmers, the kids that grew up on the end of dirt roads that never went to college,” Dean said. “Those are my people, that is my origin.”

DR. CHARITY DEAN | CONTRIBUTED Commencement keynote speaker Dr. Charity Dean.

Reser Stadium construction will not be impacting graduation ceremonies

By GABRIEL BRAUKMAN News Contributor

While the Reser Stadium construction at Oregon State University won’t be complete until after commencement, this year’s graduates should expect no impact.

The commencement ceremony for this year’s graduating students will be taking place on Saturday, June 17 within Reser Stadium, according to OSU. This year marks the 154th commencement for OSU.

This year, Reser Stadium is entering the final months of its largest renovation yet. The Completing Reser Stadium project, which began in 2021 by Hoffman Construction, is slated to finish its construction by the start of this year’s football season, according to the OSU Athletics website. The renovation will be adding a student welcome center, as well as a wellness clinic.

Libby Ramirez, a university architect and director of Capital Resources, said that, “Hoffman Construction has known about

commencement dates (both last year and this year) since they were selected for the project and have built these dates into the project schedule.”

Additionally, as Hoffman Construction did during the 2022 football schedule, they will pull back their operations the day before to allow for all access needed for commencement preparation. The construction company also plans to tidy up the site.

According to Ramirez, the project team met with commencement planners to ensure construction operations do not conflict with commencement plans.

For those wanting to plan ahead, some details about the event for guests are shared on the commencement website. This includes facts such as how the gates will open at 9 a.m., there is no reserved seating, and that the ceremony is expected to last around 3 hours. One new rule being established this year is a clear bag policy.

James Yon, an administrative lieutenant with OSU’s Department of Public Safety said, “(The clear bag policy) is the same as all sporting events at the university. Only clear bags will be allowed into the ceremony.”

The addition of the clear bag policy falls in line with an overarching security change at Reser Stadium. According to the official OSU website on the policy, the program has been set in place for all ticketed athletic events since the 2018 baseball season.

The commencement website has guidelines to follow for this policy. The only types of bags that are allowed into the ceremony are clear plastic bags no larger than 12” X 6” X 12”, clear one gallon plastic storage bags, and small clutch bags no larger than the approximate size of a hand. Bags such as backpacks, camera bags, purses, and fanny packs are not allowed under any circumstances.

Specifically prohibited items for commencement include any outside food and drink, any kind of tobacco product

including e cigarettes and vaping products, and umbrellas.

The construction sites and equipment themselves will not be impacting the ceremony. Guests are seated on the east side of Reser Stadium, while students are seated on the field itself, with neither area being a part of the construction.

According to Ramirez, the construction of Reser will be resuming the Monday morning after commencement, on June 19.

This year’s commencement ceremony will be happening without any major changes due to construction. This year’s commencement is likely the last major event to occur in Reser before the planned end of its construction this July.

Steve Clark, the vice president of University Relations and Marketing, said, “We believe that guests and graduates will be excited to see the progress that is occurring on the stadium project.”

Seniors, do you feel like you have had the full college experience?

By JACE JETT News Contributor

As Spring Term comes to a close, we asked graduating seniors to reflect on their time at Oregon State University and answer the question: Do you feel like you have had the full college experience?

Maryssa Reynoso

(she/her)

Psychology Major & Anthropology Minor

Hometown: Watsonville, CA

Megan Wagner

(she/her)

Biology Major

Hometown: Newport, OR

“No. Partially because the first couple of years were online. It was interesting. It was a different experience. I’m not really sure what the full college experience would be. But I’ve been happy in the last two years being on campus and for the experiences that I have had.”

Lineth Trujillo Morales

(she/her)

Biology Major

Hometown: Reno, NV

“I think to an extent. I think because I was here before COVID and … I was still here afterwards. So, I think that I definitely lost a good chunk of the college experience in that time, but getting to see it before and after really showed … what it could have been had I been there for four years, you know, without COVID. So I think, for what we went through, I got the most of it … given all the circumstances, I got the college experience.”

Carter James (he/him)

Bioengineering Major

Hometown: Lake Oswego, OR

“I feel like, honestly, because of COVID I missed, what, two years of my college experience?

I feel like I made up for it a lot. I found the community of people I really enjoy and, you know, I feel like I got a great education. I feel like I had fun in my free time, but it still kind of sucks that I missed part of that, honestly. Trying to make Skate Club welcome on campus — because we were here for a while and then we got booted — trying to get people more okay with my community, or the community I love and all my friends and just feeling accepted here has been kind of a challenge. But I’m hopeful and I see a future for the club here. It’s just kind of rough but I feel like by the end of this term, and by the time I graduate, that yeah, I will have had the full college experience.”

Stuart Helikson

(he/him)

Chemical Engineering Major

Hometown: Eugene, OR

“Oh yeah. Yeah, definitely. I definitely don’t feel like the first couple of years I did, just because of the pandemic, it was kind of rough. But … I think this year I feel like it’s actually the college experience. I think what it was for me was walking to the library at 10:30 at night to finish an assignment and people in the library just goofing around. I don’t know, something about just existing as a human and being able to sleep anywhere on campus, it’s definitely part of the experience. Especially after being in the student government I feel like I’ve gotten to meet a lot of community members. So yeah, I’d say I’ve gotten the college experience.

Drake Scrafford

(he/his)

Marine Biology Major & Chemistry Minor

Hometown: Eugene, OR

“I would say so … I guess to elaborate on that I graduated high school before COVID hit in 2019 and was able to live in the dorms a little bit before (COVID-19) happened. Throughout that I got the dorm experience, which I think is part of the college experience. And then, where we have the option to explore my major and get all the experiences and talk to people, network, get the academics that I really wanted to get. So overall, yes, I would think so.”

Kotaro Chavez

(he/his)

Sociology Major

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

“I think so. I mean, I kind of missed out because of COVID. So I missed out on the spring term of my freshman year and my sophomore year … but, for the most part, yeah. I met so many cool people through my classes and I’ve gone to some clubs and … even the Craft Center right here; I just come hang out. So yeah, absolutely.” I have had.”

“I guess not really, because of COVID, but I think I’ve gotten what I want … I’ve tried to incorporate myself in different communities … as I could.

I’ve done a lot of sports and whatnot, doing a lot of non-teams and whatnot.

I’ve really enjoyed that. Freshman year I was definitely more of a social bird but I still try to … in my major and whatnot in engineering in general, I tried to be a part of different communities and whatnot and to help out. I’ve been TA-ing the past year, which is really fun and something that’s been new.”

Karsyn Brinkley

(she/her)

Kinesiology Major

Hometown: Vancouver, WA

“Yes. I was involved in athletics and Greek life, and I got a job here in Corvallis so I got the opportunity to meet a lot of people.”

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look back on everything. Dagen is going to miss a lot of things about Corvallis, but what she will miss the most is the community and the little things.

As an athlete and a part of a team, Dagen has seen Beaver gym grow into a more popular standing.

It almost makes you think, “Why not us?” about Beaver gymnastics, which is why Dagen’s mom, aunt, and cousin got shirts made at the end of the year with that very statement.

“My end goal was always college gymnastics,” Dagen said.

She completed that ambition and she has made her mark on Beaver Nation as she says goodbye to Oregon State.

This year in sports

Oregon State athletics had a solid showing this year in many regards, and across many sports. Beaver football reached 10 wins and were named bowl game champs in mid December, marking their best season since 2006. Gymnastics' Jade Carey and Madi Dagen were highly ranked

across the nation and helped the Beavers reach new heights. Men's Basketballs' Jordan Pope emerged as a new star for the team, looking to carry the Beavers back to a winning culture. Beaver Softball reached the quarterfinals of this year's PAC-12 Tournament after a rocky season.

WEATHER BY HELEN & LUCY NICKERSON

rushes

Lauren Letzsch competes

her second season with the GymBeavs. TOP RIGHT: Jordan Pope goes for a layup against UCLA at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis on

9. BOTTOM LEFT: Oregon State softball player Grace Messmer plays shortstop at Kelly field on Saturday, March 18 in Corvallis against University of California. BOTTOM RIGHT: Talia Von Oelhoffen makes her way towards the basket against University of Washington on Jan. 15 in Gill Coliseum.

“We made history, we beat teams we shouldn’t have beat, and the atmosphere in Gill (Coliseum) was like something I’ve never experienced before … It was so much fun.

PHOTO GALLERY

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

First-generation students talk college culture shocks and overcoming homesickness

By NINO PAOLI News Reporter

While all incoming students may struggle to adjust to college life, many first-generation students have no idea what to expect.

First-generation 2023 graduates Kaily Trinidad and Jeanell Bandonill both grew up in multi-generational households on Oahu, Hawaii.

Bandonill, who graduated with a degree in public health this spring and is on the pre-med track, and Trinidad, who will graduate with a biohealth sciences degree in June, reflected on their experience at Oregon State University.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GO TO OSU?

BANDONILL: I decided to go to OSU, honestly, because of financial aid. They provided me a better option for education. Back home is a bit more expensive for me to stay, so I decided to … leave (Oahu). There's a saying: ‘if you don't leave now, you're never gonna leave.’ So I took that little l

I grew up in a really small school. My school’s graduating class was six people. I knew that I wanted to go to a bigger school. My brother went to Eugene, originally at UO, and I knew I wanted to do a pre-med track, and OSU would have a better program. And I just really liked the feeling of community on campus here and it kind of just felt right … I think, growing up, I always knew that I wanted to go to the mainland. But I think it didn't really hit me until I came here that I realized, ‘Oh … this is different,

WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE LIKE

WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED AT OSU?

My freshman year … every

single day for the first month, I cried. Every single bench on campus, I would sit down, call my family and cry … I would just be so homesick and was just really sad, and I just wanted to go home.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CULTURE SHOCKS YOU EXPERIENCED COMING TO COLLEGE?

BANDONILL: Back at home, (the people) are so nice, but people here, it’s cutthroat … back home it’s kind of more open or welcoming. Here it’s a little bit more closed off. And then the food here kind of lacks in the seasoning department … there’s the same options all the time, you get tired of eating the same thing. Back at home,

Downtown to have heaviest traffic during Commencement outside of campus

By MILES GREEN News Contributor

Commencement Day is a yearly event to congratulate and celebrate Oregon State University graduating students. However, as many families travel into town to celebrate with their new graduates the city of Corvallis can become very busy.

This year's commencement day will take place on June 17, at Reser Stadium. According to the OSU website, the gates will open at 9 a.m. and the ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m, which means that the OSU campus as well as parts of Corvallis close to campus will have far more people than usual.

“It felt like freshman move-in day, super packed.” said Jordan Vanaken, a mechanical engineering major who graduated in 2022. “Also, I did not attend commencement because of how many people there were.”

Jordan also advised those attending the commencement ceremony to park north of Harrison Boulevard, where parking is free,

“We attended two graduations in 2016 and 2018,” said Tim Smart, a father of two

OSU graduates. “Family also attended from Eugene so about 6-8 people each year. In general, the traffic was 30 min or so with delays once we got off (Interstate 5).”

Smart said that for the elderly and those with disabilities, parking can be difficult, as the walk to commencement is, for most families, around half a mile from where they parked, which for some can be quite a journey.

“As for food and restaurants, there are a few choices so reservations are critical if you are celebrating in an establishment. As for us, we opted for the BBQ and outside space for celebration. Games, camping chairs, and good food hit the spot after each graduation we attended,” Smart said.

According to Google Maps, the most traffic heavy areas in Corvallis are the downtown areas, including 2nd Street, 3rd Street, and 4th Street. Additionally, some of the downtown cross connecting roads such as Jefferson Avenue, Madison Avenue, and Monroe Avenue, and roads like Harrison

College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences

you have options and you have access to home-cooked meals … when you’re on campus, it’s kind of hard to get fresh homecooked meals. Rice was a hard thing to get here.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU KNEW?

TRINIDAD: I wish I knew how much I was going to miss home. (I) feel like I didn't appreciate what I had at home. I kind of felt like, in high school, I kind of chased that feeling of wanting … to be off the little rock … I didn't realize how much I was gonna miss it and crave it.

BANDONILL: I didn't realize how independent you had to be when you leave.

I didn't realize how reliant I was on my family. I thought, right then and there, that I was independent already, because I had a job, I could drive, I cooked for myself, I cleaned, I looked after myself. I thought that was independence. But then coming to college, coming to Oregon State, and living on your own, it's a whole different type of independence. You're literally fending for yourself without your parents or your family’s help.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR INCOMING FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS?

TRINIDAD: Find people you feel like you're at home with. I think that's what really helped me here. Find people that you feel like you have a sense of home and community, and you feel like you have a sense of belonging with, because who you surround yourself with and what you surround yourself with really can make or break your four years.

BANDONILL: Be open to opportunities, and also to turning down opportunities. Just because one door closes doesn’t mean another one isn't going to open. That's how I felt a lot … just because I lost one opportunity, I thought it was the end of the world. But in actuality, it opened another door, which could honestly benefit you more. So I feel just be open to opportunities and experiences.

Trinidad hopes to be an optometrist in the future, and Bandonill is looking into the fields of dermatology, oncology and hematology.

The two wear jewelry given to them by their family members, which includes Bandonill’s Pandora charm bracelet and Trinidad’s jade bracelet to bring prosperity, wealth and good luck.

Boulevard, 14th street, and Western Boulevard can become heavily congested.

Construction will also be taking place on Van Buren Bridge, the main eastbound connection for Corvallis to I-5.

“All of our work will still be off of the roadway during that time,” said David House from the Oregon Department of Transportation. “No lanes on Van Buren will be closed Saturday, June 17. Traffic

flow shouldn’t be any different than what everyone is used to.”

Finally, while some may be worried about the commencement day traffic, others, like Aidan Connell, a fifth-year construction engineering management major, don't even consider it an issue.

“Unfortunately, I really don’t, most of the time I tend to be outta here before graduation/commencement,” Connell said.

WOO HOO! 20 23

Congratulations

to the 2023 CEOAS graduates!

JAKE FISHER | ORANGE MEDIA NETWORK

Kaily Trinidad (she/her), a biohealth sciences major at Oregon State (left) and Jeanell Brandonill (she/ her), a public health major at Oregon State (right), pose with photos of their family on May 12 next to the MU Quad.

EL GUO | ORANGE MEDIA NETWORK

Photo illustration of Olivia Authur (she/her) walking past the graduation banners at OSU on May 22. Often times during commencements there are long wait times for getting from place to place.